Lever-locking device.



E. W- HMS & J. T. MORIE. LEVER LOCKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION man APR.-7. 19x6.

' l ,2042 1 O. Patenfiefi Nov. 7. 1916.

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ELIVIER W. TIMS AND JOSEPH '1. MORIE, 0F YOUNGSTOWN. 03. .10.

LEVER-LOCKING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ELMER W. TIMS and JOSEPH T. Moran, citizens of the United States, residing at Youngstown, in the county of Mahoning and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lever-Locking Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to lever locks and has special reference to a novel improvement in devices of this character which are especially adapted to lock railway switch and signal levers.

Primarily, the present invention contemplates a device for automatically locking the handles or shanks of switch levers, thus rendering the locking of the lever in a fixed position. quick and positive, and at the same time preventing its movement by unauthorized persons. Therefore, as indicated the invention may be of special utility in connection with levers for railway switches and signals or other like devices which require a lever to be mounted in an exposed or unprotected place.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and practical construction that is simple and reliable in operation, and which because of its simplicity may be economically made and easily kept in a service able condition. Harry locks of this charactcr are more or less complicated and involve a great many relatively small and light parts which quickly rust or wear out. However, this objection is eliminated to a maximum extent by the construction of the present invention, Where the parts are simple and substantial and easily accessible when necessary.

With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the 'accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section with the lever locking parts in open position. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the lever locking parts in closed position. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View on the line 33 of Fig. 3..

Similar references designate correspond ing parts throughout the several figures of the. drawings.

In carrying out the present invention, it is preferred to employ a lock frame 1 which may be a single casting as shown in the drawings, and. may include an attaching base portion 2, and an upstanding lever holding portion 3 having a lever clearance recess 4 whose entrance is flared as at 5. The said upstanding lever holding portion 3 is preferably provided with the spaced walls 6 and 7 which are united at the bottom of the clearance recess 4 by means of a bridge wall' or web 8. Thus, the space S between the walls (3 and 7 may be readily utilized to accommodate a shiftable latch member desi nated generally as L. This latch member, as will be observed more particularly from Figs. 1 and 2, essentially includes a body portion 9 carrying therewith a pivot pin 10 for rockably supporting the same between the walls 6 and 7, and further includes a trip extension 11 disposed at one side of the clearance recess i and an upstanding latch arm 12 disposed at the other side of the clearance recess and having a le ver restraining shoulder 13. It will also be noted hat the latch member L is provided with a foot operating extension 14, whereby the same may be readily rocked by manual force in case the friction at the pivot 10 is too great to permit the latch to fall by gravity when the locking means is released.

Pivotally suspended. between the walls 6 and 7 of the frame at the side of the clearance recess opposite the latch arm 12, is a trip lever 15 having a flat buffer nose 16 for receiving the impact of a switch lever handle H when the same is thrust into the lever clearance, and also having at its opposite side a bearing engagement with the trip eX- tension 11 of the latch member L. Since the trip lever 15 is pivoted as at l5 adjacent the upper end of the 'walls of the frame, its

- lower end will always follow and be in contact with the trip extension of the latch member. Thus, whenever the trip lever is forced back between the walls of the frame, the latch arm 12 of the latch member is rocked so that the restraining shoulder 13 thereof substantially closes the outlet end .of the clearance slot r.

The pivot pin 10 of the latch member L,

look arm of the tumbler lever.

rigidly carried by the body 9 of the latch member, projects through the wall 7, and has secured to the end thereof a locklng member 17, which may be of any type or a member is of angular form, and is pivoted at the angle on a stud 21, and includes in addition to the locking arm a rock arm 22 which is under the tension of the free end of a leaf spring 23 rigidly attached to the frame as at 2 1. This spring constantly exerts its force on the rock arm of the tumbler lever, and tends to maintain the hooked end 19 of the locking arm in engagement with the locking shoulder 18 of the locking member 17 Arran ed on the frame above the tumbler lever T is a keeper dog 25 pivoted as at 26 and having a restraining nose 27 at its free end, for engaging the end of the rock arm. Like the tumbler lever T, this keeper dog is under the tension of a sprin 28, the same tending to thrust the keeper dog in the direction of the end of the This arrangement of the keeper dog and rock arm. of the tumbler lever constitutes a key clearance in which a suitable key indicated by dotted lines, is adapted to work. This key designated generally as K is adapted to fit over a key post 29, and when turned in the direction indicated in Fig. 1, lifts the keeper dog 25 so that the restraining end 27 thereof is raised clear of the extremity of the rock arm and out of engagement therewith. That is, the engagement of the key with the keeper dog is such that the latter is lifted prior to the key striking the side of the rock arm 22 and moving the same on its pivot 21. Thus, since the keeper dog 25 is raised before the tumbler member T is rocked, the upper end of the arm 22 thereof will be placed in restraining engagement With the end of the keeper dog, to hold the same disengaged from the tumbler and at the same time per-,

mit the hooked end 19 of the arm 20 to ride on the periphery of the locking member 1'? out of engagement with the shoulder 18. F or the purpose of preventing the wings of V the key K rotating in the wrong direction to operate the lock parts, a stop post 30 may be provided.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that when the switch parts are in the open position shown in Fig. 1, and a lever handle is thrust into the clearance recess 4, the same will strike the buffer nose 16 of the trip member 15 and thereby cause the latter to shift the latch L on its pivot since it is in engagement with the lever extension 11 thereof. Thus, when the latch member L is rocked on its pivot 10 the locking member 17 on the same is rotatedso that the hooked end 10 of the tumbler lever is snapped into engagement With the restraining shoulder 18, since the said tumbler lever 1S under the influence of the spring 23. When it 1s desired to unlock the latch member L, it is only necessary to insert the key K Within the lock casing G which may house the locking parts, so thatthe said key will engage the dog 25 and then engage therock arm 22 of the tumbler lever as previously stated. I

lVithout further description it is thought that the many features and advantages will be readily understood, and it will of course 7 'be apparent that various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims.

We claim: 7 1. A lever locking device including a lock frame, a latch member operatively related to said frame, alocking member carried by the pivot of said latch member, and a lock device adapted to engage said locking member. J

2. A lever locking device including a lock frame, a latch member operatively relatet to said frame, a locking member carried by the pivot of said member, a lock device adapted to engage said locking member, and

means for manually controlling said locking device. r

3. A lever locking device'including a lock frame, a latch member operatively related to said frame, a locking member carried by the pivot of said latch member, a locking device adapted to engage said locking member, and key operated means for controlling said locking device.

l. A lever locking device including a lock frame having a recess, a foot lever having an element adapted to form a closure for one end of said recess, a locking member'carried by the pivot of said foot member, and a key controlled lever device adapted to engage said locking memberr 5. A lever locking device including a lock frame having a lever clearance recess, a latch member pivoted in said frame and in operative relation to said recess, and means for locking said latch lever at its pivot.

(3. A lever locking device including a lock frame having a lever clearance recess, a latch member pivoted in said frame and in operative relation to said recess, a locking member carried by the pivot of said latch member, and key-operated means for controlling the said locking member.

7. A lever locking device including a lock framehaving a lever clearance recess, a latch member pivoted in said frame and having a trip extension and a lever restraining shoulder, means for engaging the trip extension Cir shoulder across the entrance of the lever.

clearance recess, and means for locking said latch lever at its pivot.

8. A lever locking device including a lock frame having a lever clearance recess, a latch member pivoted in said frame and having a trip extension at one side of its pivot and a restraining shoulder on the other side, said lever also having a foot operated extension, means for engaging the trip extension of the latch memberto bring the restraining shoulder across the entrance of the lever clearance recess, and means for locking said latch lever at its pivot.

0. A lever locking device including a lock frame having a lever clearance recess, a latch member pivoted in said frame and having a trip extension extending to one side of the pivot and the lever clearance and also having a restraining shoulder at the other side of the pivot and clearance recess, means for automatically shifting the latch member so that the restraining shoulder obstructs the entrance of the clearance recess, and means for locking the latch member at its pivot.

10. A lever locking device including a lock frame having a lever clearance recess, a latch member having a trip extension and a lever restraining shoulder, a pivot pin carried by said latch member intermediate the trip extension and restraining shoulder and journaled in said frame, a locking member carried by said pivot pin, and key-operated means for controlling said locking member.

11. A lever locking device including a lock frame having a lever clearance recess, a latch member having a trip extension arranged at one side of the recess and a restraining shoulder at the other side, a pivot pin carried by the latch member intermediate the trip extension and restraining shoulder and journaled in said frame, means carried by said frame for shifting said latch lever by engaging the trip extension thereof, a locking member carried by said pivot pin, and key-operated means for controlling said locking member.

12. A lever locking device including a lock frame having a normally open lever clearance recess, a latch member having a trip extension arranged at one side of the recess and a restraining shoulder at the other side, a pivot pin carried by said latch member intermediate the trip extension and restraining shoulder, a pivoted trip lever carried by the frame for engaging the trip extension of the latch member, a locking member rigidly carried by the pivot pin of the latch member, and key-operated means for controlling the locking member.

13. A. lever locking device including a lock frame including an attaching base and an upstanding lever holding portion, said upstanding lever holding portion including oppositely arranged spaced wall members providing a lever clearance recess therebetween, a latch member arranged between the spaced walls of the lock "rame and having a trip extension arranged at one side of the clearance recess and a restraining shoulder at the other side, a pivot pin carried by said latch member intermediate the trip extension and restraining shoulder, a trip pivotally suspended between the walls of the frame adjacent the trip extension of the latch member and engaging therewith, and means for locking the pivot pin of the latch member.

l t. A lever locking device including a lock frame comprising an attaching base and an upstanding lever holding portion, the latter including oppositely arranged spaced wall members providing a lever clearance recess therebetween, a latch member arranged between the spaced walls of the lock frame and having a trip extension at one side of the recess and an upstanding latch arm having a restraining shoulder at the other side, a pivot pin carried by said latch member and journaled in the spaced walls of the frame, a trip member pivotally suspended between the walls of the frame adjacent the trip extension of the latch member and engaging therewith, a locking member carried by the pivot of the latch member and key-operated means for controlling said locking member.

15. A lever locking device including a lock frame having a lever clearance recess, a latch member having a trip extension and a lever rest-raining shoulder, a pivot pin carried by said latch member and journaled in said frame, a locking member rigidly carried by said pivot pin, and a key-operated tumbler lever for engaging with said looking member.

16. A lever locking device including a lock frame having a lever clearance recess, a latch member having a trip extension and a lever restraining shoulder, a pivot pin carried by said latch member and journaled in the frame, a locking member rigidly carried by the said pivot pin, and key-operated means for controlling said lock member including an angular tumbler lever pivoted to the frame and having means at one end for engaging with the locking member on the pivot pin, and a keeper dog for engaging the other end of the tumbler lever.

17. A lever locking device including a lock frame having a lever clearance recess, a latch member having a trip extension and a lever restraining shoulder, a pivot pin carried. by said latch member and journaled in the frame, a locking member rigidly carried by the pivot pin and having a keeper portion, and key-operating means for controlling said locking member including an angular tumbler lever pivoted to the frame and having a hook at one end for engaging with the keeper recess of th l cking member, and a spring pressed keeper dog for engaging With our signatures in the presence of two Witthe tumbler lever, said keeper dog being arnesses.

ran ed with respect to the tumbler lever v s so that a key Will first lift the keeper dog j gg i qg and then swing the tumbler lever so that the l k latter is in supporting engagement with the Witnesses:

end of the keeper clog. M. H. ELLIOTT, In testimony whereof We hereunto affix C.C.R D1BAUGH.

' Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

